place for the bad hum must. we'll explain how they dealt with the polar vortex in cleveland, ohio. this is "way too early." >> ice, ice baby. this is made by elegant ice. we couldn't have timed that any better. good morning, everybody. friday, january 10th. also on the show, forget about food trucks. how about getting your burrito from a vending machine. and we have a country out there where every citizen is a millionaire. get your guesses in. no google. if you want to guess on twitter for your answers. we start with new jersey governor chris christie. a u.s. attorney is beginning a probe into the traffic mess that started a scandal around governor christie's office. yesterday, a marathon mea culpa,

one hour, 48 minutes' worth. he struck a tone rarely seen from the governor. >> i am embarrassed and humiliated. i'm heart broken. i'm sick over this. i take this action today because it is my job. i am sad to report to the people of new jersey that we fell short. we fell short of the expectations that we have created over the last four years ultima ultimately, i am responsible. for what happens under my watch. i was blindsided yesterday morning. it is heart breaking to me. that i wasn't told the truth. i'm a very loyal guy been. i expect loyalty in return. it makes me ask about me, what

did i do wrong to have these folks think it was okay to lie to me? and there's a lot of soul-searching that goes around with this. >> he also announced he's parting ways with two top staffers. the first, bridget ann kelly, the deputy chief of staff who said in an e-mail time for some traffic problems in ft. lee. she was fired without a chance to explain. he also told his campaign manager not to apply to become state party chair or work with christie at the state republican governor's association been christie rejected claims his own actions fuelled the atmosphere that led to the lane closures at retribution. >> critics say this reveals that you're a political bully. that your style is pay backback. are you?

and does it compromise your ability to serve? >> no, i am not. politics ain't bean bags. nerve the country who engages in politics knows that. on the other hand, that's very, very different to saying that, you know, someone's a bully. i am who i am. but i'm not a bully. >> christie also says he doesn't know why ft. lee was targeted. whether what began as a traffic study became a political venn de vendetta or vice ver spap after the situation, he went to visit mayor mark sokolich, who he said he couldn't have picked out of a police lineup. let's talk to casey hunt. a lot to talk about. any questions that didn't get answered from the 1:48 marathon? >> i think there are unanswered questions. some of the details are still

fuzzy. top in my mind, did brinlt ann kelly come up with this idea by herself? and why did he decide not to talk to her after he found out about the e-mails? but before he fired her? it's something that is sort of critical to figuring out exactly how this decision was made and how the process went down. the clip at the said, what did i do wrong to make folks think it was okay the lie to me? the other question is, there was a culture here that even if christie is telling the whole truth when he says he had no knowledge of any of this -- what did he do to create the culture that let them thing it was okay. that's the question that a number of republicans have raised to me privately. >> inside the beltway, are people buying the story? >> well, his press conference and his performance at the press conference gave the republicans i talked to enough cover to not have to go after him.

you know in the immediate hours after this scandal broke two days ago, there wasn't really anybody who felt comfortable with their own political fortunes to step out and defend him. and, i will say there was no defense, really, of christie yesterday. i tukd a number of republicans on the hill. senator lindsey graham was openly critical. he later said he was impressed with his performance. senator rubio or cruz wouldn't talk about it. there's not a lot of jumping off the deep end of criticism, but there's not anybody jumping to his defense either. >> superquick. is the cassidy point in the new yorker good that he's one e-mail or smoking gun away from oblivion. do you think that is true? >> he's drawn a lot of red lines. as one senator put to it me yesterday, if you're going find an e-mail that lynx it to him, he's toast, isn't he?

>> thank you, casey. we appreciate you getting up early for us. >> david wildstein, the port authority official out of a job over the situation faced a hearing and took the favorite amendment over and over. 350 years after president lyndon johnson declared a war on poverty, the federal government is making an attempt to help renew the poorest communities. yesterday, president obama listed if first five promise zones. the promise zones bear some resemblance to several republican plans, including one introduced by rand paul last month. the white house says this will not involve extra resources. they're in san antonio, los angeles, southeastern kentucky, and the chocktau nation.

>> what grade would you give -- >> i would give it failing grade. >> the war on poverty. >> i would giver it a failing grade. it has failed. we should have done better than this. we can do better than this. we need to recognize this is not about deprivation as much as it's about isolation. in many ways, our strategies have isolated the poor from the rest of the society. we need to reinvigorate them into communities. you can't just say, i paid my taxes, government will take care of this. we need to reint gate communities so people, soul to soul, eye to eye, person to american, get involved and help us fix this. the government on its own cannot solve this. >> ironically enough, new research finds lawmakers in washington are make out well for themself. the senator conspiracy

responsive politics finds that more than half of congress has a net worth of over $1 million. house oversight chairman darryl i issa, the richest member of congress, valued at $464 million. yesterday, majority leader harry reid offered up a bill that would extend jobless benefits through november of this year. he said he would not allow amendments to be made to the bill. he expressed frustration tore current negotiations on how to pay for the extensions saying, i have been waiting here for more than 24 hours forposal by my re friends to pay for this. we don't have one yet. republicans disagree. president obama may be getting ready to shake things up at the nsa.

the president may announce a handful of changes as soon as next week. among them, placing new restrictions on surveillance of foreign leaders. putting telephone data under the control of a third party. and creating an advocate for the american people. nsa laerk edward snowden downloaded 1.7 million fils. the largest theft of secrets in the history of the united states. it could change the way people post online reviews for just about everything. a court in virginia ruled yesterday that yelp must reveal who posted seven negative reviews. they were left for a carpet cleaning company. the owner says he can't find any information that they were actual clients and he wants to sue for information. if the comments are not legitimate, it would violent the

yelp agreement. we have to keep an eye on that. to business opinion we get a better sense of where the economy stands when the december jobs report is released. yesterday, the feeling was mixed. bertha coombs is with us. >> we have the futures pointing to a higher start. the expectation is when we get the jobs report for december today, we might get a big number. we got a nice preview from adp, the payroll processer on wednesday. they said more than 200,000 prooifrt seco private sector jobs. today, we might see north of 200,000 jobs added. barring major surprise, we could see the biggest annual gain since the recession ended in 2009. meantime, alcoa used to be

the first to report. now they're making headlines for another reason. in hot water. agrees to pay more than $380 million on thursday. the s.e.c. says they bribed people for years. it's not the way the u.s. wants american companies to do business. >> theoretically, every citizen in the country of norway is a millionaire? >> technically. technically. everyone in norway is. at least this week, thanks to the fortunes of the country's sovereign wealth fund. the fund's profits have ballooned thanks to rising oil and gas prices. create t in 1990, the fund owns about 1% of the world's stock as well as bonds and real estate. the government has resisted the

temptation to spend the cash, saving it for a very big rainy day. given the crisis in europe in the last couple of years, probably a good idea. >> have a great weekend, bertha. let's go to twitter. we're talking about resourcefulness, if i can say that. mcgyver-like. in texas, a firefighter used beer to put out a truck fire. shook it and used the foam from the beer. we have all tried funky things to fix stuff. your best macguyver moment? still ahead, college hoops. not everything is a slam dunk in louisville. and innovations in vending machines. your next burrito could be a push of a button away. i'm beth...

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with 0-calorie monk fruit in the raw. it's made with the vine-ripened sweetness of fruit, so you can serve up deliciously sweet treats without all the sugar. get recipes at intheraw.com. afghanistan, in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

i think we both are clean freaks. i used to scrub the floor on my knees. [ daughter ] i've mastered the art of foot cleaning. oh, boy. oh, boy. oh, boy. [ carmel ] that drives me nuts. it gives me anxiety just thinking about how crazy they get. [ doorbell rings ] [ daughter ] oh, wow. [ carmel ] swiffer wetjet. you guys should try this. it's so easy. oh, my. [ gasps ] i just washed this floor. if i didn't see it i wouldn't believe it. [ carmel ] it did my heart good to see you cleaning. [ regina ] yeah, your generation has all the good stuff. [ daughter ] oh, yeah. [ regina ] yeah, your generation has all the good stuff. peoi go to angie's listt for all kinds of reasons. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

a little sports. college hoops, number one arizona at ucla. first half, check out the alley-oop to freshman aaron gordon. the bruins make it a game. they tie things up. they hitd their free throws down the stretch, hang on, 79-75. they're 16-0. number 24 memphis at 12th-ranked louisville. luke hancock powers through for a dunk. check out the replay. it pops back out. i would think if it crossed the plane, it would count. they did not count it. joe johnson with the floater dropping. memphis hangs on to upset listville, 73-67. it might be the best weekend of the year for nfl fans. eight teams left, four games

over two days. drew brees and the saints in seattle. a tough task. in the night cap, andrew luck takes on the golden boy, tom brady, and the patriots. sunday, the niners go to carolina to face the panthers. and at 4:40 p.m. eastern time, peyton manning welcomes philip rivers. >> who is your road team? >> the 49ers. >> just do your weather. >> you're grumpy today. different than any other day. we have to move on. high school, check this out. fourth grader making waves in orlando, florida. check out 9-year-old jaden. check her out. >> a nice crossover. >> at the varsity game. she's averaging 15 points a game, 8 assists. she's got the low center of

gravity. this is not a joke. she can play. take to it the hoop. she's got to launch it for her l layups. we'll see her in a couple of years. i think she signed with uconn two seconds another. it's warming up but it will rain? >> yeah, freezing rain. we have three or four hours of this. unfortunately, it's in the morning rush hour. advice from the baltimore area, through delaware, new york city, new jersey, southern connecticut. it's slick. just enough to make it difficult. the pink is friesen rain. from philadelphia southward. the warm air is on the way, finally. that will be the story over the upcoming weekend. we're going get drenched out there. we're going see a lot of heavy rain. we have flood wamps up for all of new england. it will be interesting. the timing of it, this afternoon. the fred is h heavier rains. the carolinas, from little work

northward. the rain. the bulk of the heavy rain over the mid-atlantic. there's a patriots football game. the heavy rain up into new england. they could get drenched up there during the game. it will be interesting to see how the game is played in the rain with luck and brady. >> two words. legarrette blount. >> should he fly or take the train? >> whatever they take the wheelchair on. whatever is easier. >> oh! oh! >> is music teacher paisley tie guy speaks up. >> paisley? >> the syracuse game this weekend. gotta wear the orange. coming up at the top of the hour, "morning joe." chris christie's mea contradiction ulpa. when we come back, we huddle

around the cooler. local news at its best. the poerl vortex into a rap song. ♪ when that's all that you got whoa we're halfway there whoa living on a payer ♪ w guy? all we do is go out to dinner. that's it? i mean, he picks up the tab every time, which is great...what? he's using you. he probably has a citi thankyou card and gets 2x the points at restaurants. so he's just racking up points with me. some people... ugh! no, i've got it. the citi thankyou preferred card. now earn 2x the points on dining out and entertainment, with no annual fee.to apply, go to citi.com/thankyoucards she'd just grab the bounty select-a-size. one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. use less, with bounty select-a-size. this is the creamy chicken corn chowder.

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at the top of the show, we talked about the ongoing controversy involving chris christie and the lane closures on the g.w. bridge.

if you want to sound smart today, tell your friends the g.w.b. is the world's busiest bridge. in 2012, voted the worst roadway for congestion. it has four lanes each way on up thor level, three each way on the lower. in the corporate world, if i know one thing, it's that a business card can make or break a first impression. >> is that that gram? >> new card. what do you think? >> oh. very nice. look at that. >> picked them up from the printers yesterday. good coloring. >> that's bone. and the lettering is called f l fillian braille.

>> a wealthy chinese businessman is interested in buying "the new york times." when they came out, so did his business card. an earth wake rescue hero. he's the most charismatic philanthropist in all of china. he seems qualified to be the next owner "the new york times." let's go to jimmy kimmel. >> this is from the local nbc affiliate in cleveland. they built an outdoor news desk made entirely of ice. which was a good idea, until this -- >> the record cold, it's been a time to turn to science and enjoy the extreme beauty of the ice. >> this is kind of fun. robin is showing off the ice anchor desk. hi, robin. ♪ stop, collaborate and listen,

vob in the back with a brand new inventi invention, ice, ice, baby ♪ >> no. it's not -- [ cheers and applause ] it's unacceptable. vanilla ice just killed himself so he could roll over in his grave. >> why can't bill karins do that? why don't you have a big ice desk like that to report from? just when you thought you had seen it all. there's a more convenient way to get a burrito in los angeles. a mobil gas station is offering the world's first burrito kiosk. shredded beef, roasted potato, and chicken. you can add toppings like sour cream and guacamole. i bet it's great.

worried about getting bored as your meal heats up? no need. the machine plays videos while you wake. for all your vending machine-eegt burrito health nuts out there, it give use the nutritional value. >> if you're in colorado, you can get your burrito, your weed, and the red box dvd. that's an instant party. >> it is a party. and you don't have to drive anywhere. your best maacgyver moves just moments away. if you've got copd like me... ...hey breathing's hard. know the feeling? copd includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. spiriva is a once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that helps open my obstructed airways for a full 24 hours. spiriva helps me breathe easier. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder

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my final twitter question. just in case you didn't hear. this is my final show on "way too early." you'll see me next at the olympics for nbc. you're in capable hands with thomas roberts. let's get right to it. your best macgyver-like move. >> i just used the handle of a fly swatter to retrieve a grape that got stuck between my stove

and counter. this is my favorite, duct-taping everything. >> maybe not every day. i love this one. thisit with clamps. i use a tongue depressor to keep my lights on my old jetta for about a year and a half. "morning joe" starts right now. this is not the tone that i've set over the last four years in this building. it's not the environment i've worked so hard to achieve. >> intimidation, that is not the tone. >> i'm governor. can you just shut up for a second? >> no, no, that's not it. try that one. >> did i stay on topic? ar